


An Ironic Twist of Fate

by Dlxm950



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Betrayal, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Gen, Uneasy Allies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24581617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dlxm950/pseuds/Dlxm950
Summary: No one would ever say that Azula suffered from a lack of ambition. Some might even dare to say it was her greatest flaw (although those who would actually say that were few and far between). For as long as she could remember her ambitions had driven every moment of her life. She was always top of the class, in every class, she was a prodigal bender and an even better politician. She had been groomed by her father to be his mirror image, to match his power, to match his cunning.She should have known he wouldn’t do so without precautions.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	An Ironic Twist of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Another new story but my first in the avatar world. I hope you all enjoy it.

No one would ever say that Azula suffered from a lack of ambition. Some might even dare to say it was her greatest flaw (although those who would actually  _ say _ that were few and far between). For as long as she could remember her ambitions had driven every moment of her life. She was always top of the class, in every class, she was a prodigal bender and an even better politician. She had been groomed by her father to be his mirror image, to match his power, to match his cunning. 

She should have known he wouldn’t do so without precautions. 

“Ty Lee?” Azula called out into the strangely empty halls of the palace. “Ty Lee?!”

She hadn’t seen her girlfriend for nearly two days, hadn't heard her beautifully annoying voice or glimpsed her perfectly sculpted face. At first, she had written it off as just another one of Ty Lee’s fanciful moments, gone off to do some ridiculous thing or another in the name of her aura or other such nonsense. But two days seemed like too many, especially without a note or telling her or  _ something _ . 

“Ty Lee?!!!” Her voice was shrill as it echoed down the halls.

She huffed angrily as she turned down another corridor only to find it just as empty as the other ones. 

“Azula.” 

She froze on the spot as her father's voice entered her ears. She turned like lightning to face him, he was standing at the other end of the hall, his face a perfectly crafted neutral he usually reserved for the throne room.

“Father.” She replied, bowing at the hip and raising her hands in proper greeting. “To what do I owe this honour?” 

He didn’t reply for a moment, only looking down his nose at her as she rose back to her full height. “Fath-”

“What is one of the key lessons I taught you during your first few years of classes?”

She frowned at the question. What in the world was her father talking about? Did it have something to do with why all the guards and staff were mysteriously missing? Knowing her father it was quite possible, Zuko did have to get his dramatic flare from somewhere. But that's beside the point. 

She tried to think back to some of her first lessons…

_ Azula gave a huff as she glared at the crotchety old woman attempting to teach her math. Her parents told her these classes were for her own benefit, that she needed to take them in order to better herself, for the sake of the throne, for the sake of the Fire Nation.  _

_ She didn’t care, at the time she just wanted to go back outside and play with Mai and Ty Lee. _

_ “Princess Azula!” The woman shouted as she caught sight of Azula staring out the window. “How many times must I tell you to pay attention!”  _

_ “Maybe I would if you weren't boring me to death!” Azula shouted back. _

_ The woman’s face suddenly went incredibly still, only her right eye twitching slightly as she stared at the crown princess. Azula knew she was  _ supposed _ to be sorry but she honestly just wasn’t. She savoured the feeling of making the old woman hurt enough to lash out, savouring the feeling of having power over the situation. _

_ “Why you little-” _

_ “Azula.” _

_ Both of them froze at her father's voice. He was standing in the doorway, looming over the two of them with an imposing aura that radiated power and demanded respect. The old lady was the first to react, stuttering out an apology and bowing deep at the waist. Azula’s response was far more...tame. _

_ “Father.” She replied.  _

_ He stared at the two of them for a moment before waving his right hand towards the woman in a clear sign of dismissal. She lowered herself even more (if that was even possible) as she spoke praises to her father, before backing out of the room and closing the door. Then it was just Azula and her father. He walked over to the blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk, Azula watched him do so, a look of boredom clear on her face. _

_ “Father I really don’t understand-” _

_ “What do you think has been the key to our nation's success in the war?” He asked her as he began to draw something with the chalk.  _

_ Her spine snapped straight like a rod, the response already on her tongue, her readings from her other classes immediately coming to mind.  _

_ “Our nation’s natural superiority and technological advances allowed our forefathers to conquer the other nation’s in the name of sharing-” _

_ “Yes yes, that’s certainly what allowed us to win, but that’s not what I meant. I asked what the  _ key _ was to our nation's success, not a list.” He told her, only pausing for a moment before going back to the drawing.  _

_ Now Azula was confused, her father obviously expected her to know but for the life of her (and considering what was supposed to happen to Zuzu it very well may be) she couldn’t think of a response. Her hands were clammy and her eyes wide as her mouth opened and closed with the struggle. _

_ “I-I-” _

_ “Don’t stutter!” Her father snapped as the chalk screeched across the board in a sharp line. “It is unbecoming of a princess.”  _

_ She snapped her mouth closed and pulled back. Her father continued drawing for a moment and when he finished he stepped aside to reveal...a lotus flower? _

_ “Consider this your first lesson towards becoming Fire Lord.” He told her as he walked towards her. “What allowed our forefather to rise to greatness was not the tools at their disposal, although those helped greatly as well, but their ambition. They saw what they wanted and they took it! Much like the lotus flower, you must  _ take _ what you need to secure your goals while also being careful not to allow others to corrupt it with their own.” _

“You taught me that the greatest gift our family possesses is our ambition.” Azula finally responded.

“That’s correct,” her father said thoughtfully, “but you're forgetting something.”

“And what’s that?”

“That one must keep other ambition in check while pursuing their own.” He said with a smirk as he tossed something at her.

She caught it, staring between her father and her closed fist in confusion. She stared at her hand for a moment before opening it palm side up. Her eyes widened and a surprised gasp escaped her lips as she took in the pink fabric sliding between her fingers. 

It was Ty Lee’s pink ponytail holder.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, her voice low and dangerous as she clenched her fist tightly to her chest.

“Where do you think?” Her father responded as his body language changed to become more aggressive. “You think I haven’t noticed you centralizing your supporters? The Dai Li, your personal guard, I've taught you well, too well. Your ambitions have served me well but they were growing too large. I’ve simply...taken out a guarantee.” 

Azula snarled and moved into her bending form, her feet spreading into proper formation as her hands prepared to launch a ball of fire.

“I wouldn’t. We wouldn’t want anything...unfortunate...to happen now would we?”

She snarled as her shoulders tightened, her mind racing before she finally stood back up.

“That’s what I thought.” Her father said with a smirk. “Now, I’ve arranged for you to overtake the management of Ba Sing Se, your ship departs at dawn tomorrow.”

Then he was gone, the hallway empty once more. For a moment she just stood there, her face dark, before she finally released a shout of rage. Her right hand flew into the wall releasing a massive burst of flame that blasted through the wooden wall...and then the next...and then the one after that. 

She just stood there, surrounded by fire and consumed by her rage, a moment passed before she took a large breath. Her rage and anger gave way to a look of pure determination as she thrust her hands out, snuffing out the fires and sucking their heat back into her palms. 

“I’m coming for you Ty Lee, and I  _ will _ get you back. No one takes what is  **_mine!_ ** ”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! As always constructive criticism is welcome, just try and keep it respectful.


End file.
